Plant Details

Trapa natans

Water Chestnut

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Common names

38 names · 25 languages
EnglishYour language
  • European water chestnut[2]
  • Water caltrop[2]
  • Water Chestnut[1]
+2 more namesShow fewer names
  • water nut[2]
  • water-caltrop[2]
Other languages (24)
Dutch
  • Waterkastanje
  • Waternoot[2]
French
  • Châtaigne d'eau[2]
  • Marron d'eau
  • Mâcre nageante[2]
Afrikaans
  • Waterkastaiing[2]
Bulgarian
  • Дяволски орех[2]
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Czech
  • kotvice plovoucí[2]
Danish
Finnish
  • vesipähkinä[2]
German
  • Gewöhnliche Wassernuss[1]
  • Wasserkastanie[2]
  • Wassernuss[2]
Hungarian
  • csemegesulyom[2]
Italian
  • Castagna d'acqua[2]
Japanese
  • オニビシ (広義)[2]
  • メビシ (広義)[2]
Korean
Lithuanian
  • Plūduriuojantysis agaras[2]
Polish
  • Kotewka orzech wodny[2]
Romanian
Russian
  • Рогульник плавающий[2]
  • Чилим[2]
Slovak
  • kotvica plávajúca[2]
Slovenian
  • Vodni orešek[2]
Swedish
Thai
  • กระจับ[2]
Tswana
Ukrainian
  • Водяний горіх плаваючий[2]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Trapa natans L. ↗

Common names from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. License: CC BY.

Source records
  • Gewöhnliche Wassernuss (DE) — VernacularName.tsv, line 164620; taxon 7CMPW.
  • Water chestnut (EN) — VernacularName.tsv, line 164621; taxon 7CMPW.
[2] Trapa natans — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Water caltrop — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Wassernuss — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Wasserkastanie — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Castagna d'acqua — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Mâcre nageante — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Châtaigne d'eau — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • kotvice plovoucí — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • 菱角 — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • water-caltrop — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Рогульник плавающий — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Hornnød — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Plūduriuojantysis agaras — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • 네마름 — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • eKota — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Kotewka orzech wodny — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • オニビシ (広義) — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • メビシ (広義) — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • sjönöt — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Waternoot — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Чилим — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Waterkastaiing — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • กระจับ — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • European water chestnut — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • water nut — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Водяний горіх плаваючий — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Cornaci — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • csemegesulyom — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Vodni orešek — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • 欧菱 — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • 东北菱 — results[0].names[31]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • 四角菱 — results[0].names[32]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • vesipähkinä — results[0].names[33]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • kotvica plávajúca — results[0].names[34]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.
  • Дяволски орех — results[0].names[35]; taxon id 169900; Trapa natans.

General information

Scientific name: Trapa natans
Accepted name (Kew): Trapa natans L. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1] [2]
Botanical family: Lythraceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Trapa (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Water Chestnut
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Aquatic
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 0.20 m
Spread: - m
Growth rate: None
Foliage: None

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 6-12
Soil moisture:
Wet
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral
Light:
Full sun

Uses

Edible parts:
Seed
Edibility rating:
(4)
Medicinal rating:
(0)
Functions:
None

Description

Seeds can be eaten raw, but also cooked or dried and ground into powder. They have a sweet, floral, and pleasant taste, similar to chestnuts. Various reports indicate that the seeds can contain up to 50% starch, while other reports vary between 16% starch and 3% protein, and 15% protein and 7.5% fat. It seems that these reports are not discussing the same types of seeds. One report warns that raw seeds contain toxic substances that are destroyed by cooking them.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/10
Harvest ends: 31/10

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 260331; name ID 2519313; Trapa L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 260338; name ID 2519351; Trapa natans L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  2. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Trapa natans

    Taxonomic data from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 2705041, ID 7CMPW: Trapa natans L. (accepted).

    Source checked on .